MIAMI (AP) - Republican John McCain, scrambling after one of the biggest battlegrounds of the presidential election, is touting his history on national security and trying to link the issue of the country's safety to the financial meltdown.
In Florida for a day of campaigning, McCain is meeting privately Wednesday with former top military officers who advise him on national security. He was expected to issue a statement afterward outlining his views on security threats to the nation.
Aides said his argument is that he is better prepared than Democrat Barack Obama to lead the U.S. in a troubled world because of his military background. The Arizona senator is a former Navy pilot who was shot down during the Vietnam War and held prisoner for more than five years.
But McCain also is arguing that his tightfisted approach to the economy - he promises to cut taxes and reduce government spending - is more likely to help the nation recover from the turmoil that has frozen credit markets. He tells voters Obama will raise their taxes.
